13.1

I did it. I crossed the finish line of my first half marathon this Sunday. And boy, was it a lot tougher than I anticipated. Now, I have to be honest. I did not train as well as I should. Originally, I had planned to run the entire marathon, but opted for the half when my training began to suffer due to work, spending time with Lexi and pure laziness/loss of motivation. Drew and I signed up together and once he hurt his knees I lost my running partner and sort of gave up. Regardless, I FINISHED! I pushed myself and finished the race in a little over two hours. I did have to stop a couple of times to walk - my hip flexors and knees were on fire. But, even with the added walks I kept at a 10:20 mile. The pouring rain and thunderstorm didn't help much either. Thank you mom for coming out and supporting me at mile 9. I was definitely in need of boost of encouragement and that was the perfect spot. It actually brought tears to my eyes. I was hurting at that point and did not expect to see a familiar face. The day was a big accomplishment on many levels. 1. I have never done anything more than a 5K, 2. I hate storms and ran through thunder and lightening, 3. I survived work only a couple of hours later! It was really exciting to be a part of something that has become such a big event in the city. I wish the weather had been better to really showcase the type of event it can be, but maybe that curiosity will pull me to running again in the future...

Will I ever run the race again?
- Depends on when you ask me :) During the race I had had enough, but I am feeling more optimistic (and less sore) today. I would absolutely do the relay. I think that would be a lot of fun to get 3 other people to be a part of. I would want to do the 3 or 4th legs of the race because once we hit mile nine the half and full marathoners split off. I would do the half again knowing that I need to completely commit to training and practice the course. It's way too hilly not to. As for a whole marathon... I now realize the only way I would agree to that would be if I was able to train with a running group. It's way too rough on your body not to prep properly. Plus, I think the motivation is really important.

Things that surprised me:
- How bad my lower back hurt after the race. I didn't notice it running, but as soon as I crossed the finish line and bent down - holy moly! It was and still is a bit sore.
- How much the crowd/spectators are motivators. Cheering definitely makes a difference.
- How I couldn't eat afterwards. My stomach didn't settle until about 3:30 or 4pm. I thought I would be ravenous or hungry, but my body was totally against digesting anything. The orange I had after the race made me sick and the grilled cheese I ate hours later went right through me. I definitely wasn't expecting that response. Then again, I did just push my body beyond what I've ever asked it to do before.

Overall, great experience. Sadly, I don't have a picture. It was rainy and as soon as I got to my car I got out of there so I could take a short nap before going to work. Maybe I'll stage a picture with my medal later...